Public transport barred from using gas cylinders

The Sindh Transport and Mass Transit Department has imposed a ban on the use of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and gas cylinders on public transport across the province.

A letter has been dispatched to the Karachi commissioner, the Sindh police chief, the provincial traffic police chief and the deputy commissioners in this regard.

The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) has stated that the LPG is a popular form of energy but “it is highly inflammable and can pose serious safety hazards, if not handled properly, therefore, for safety reasons, the federal government amended certain clauses of the LPG Production and Distribution rules, 2001”.

For safety reasons, the letter said, the installation of LPG cylinder or tank on motorcycles, scooter and public service vehicles such as buses, coaches and wagons shall not be allowed and treated as illegal.

“Ogra stated that as per the provisions of the LPG policy and LPG Rules, 2001, decanting of LPG at LPG distributor premises is an illegal activity and is one of the causes of accidents that causes loss of life and property since the same is done without the required safety procedures.” Moreover, it said, the manufacture of illegal substandard LPG cylinders, without approval from Ogra was also a major cause of such accidents.

It called for proactive measures to avoid any untoward incident and said that proceedings could be initiated against the violators.